Section 1
There was a widow who had a bad temper, and she had two daughters. The older daughter was similar to her mother in both appearance and temperament, while the younger daughter took after her father. The younger daughter was always kind and had a pleasant personality, and she was as attractive as she was amicable.
The widow showed favoritism towards her daughter who resembled her and did not care for the other daughter and the mother forced the younger daughter to work hard all day and only provided her with leftover scraps of food. One of her challenging duties was to fetch water every day from a faraway place.
On a certain day, as the young girl had just filled her water pitcher at the fountain, an elderly woman requested to drink from it. The beautiful girl responded, "Certainly," with pleasure and eagerness to demonstrate kindness to the elderly and weak woman. She held the pitcher while the woman quenched her thirst.
As it turned out, the elderly peasant woman was not really what she seemed to be; she was a fairy who bestowed blessings upon those who performed good deeds. The fairy remarked, "You have a beautiful countenance and a kind heart." "As you have shown kindness to a destitute elderly woman, I shall grant you a present," she continued. "Whenever you speak, a flower or a jewel will emerge from your mouth."
Upon returning home, the girl's mother scolded her for being away for a long period of time.
"I apologize for my extended absence," she responded kindly. As she spoke, pearls and diamonds emerged from her mouth.
The amazed widow asked, "What is this that I see, my child?"
The dejected girl was overjoyed to be addressed as "child" by her mother that she enthusiastically shared her encounter with the elderly woman at the fountain. As she spoke, valuable gemstones and roses fell from her mouth. The widow promptly summoned her favorite daughter to come to her.
"Would you like to receive the same gift as your sister, Fanny?" asked the mother. "Go to the fountain and collect water. If an old woman requests a drink, make sure you treat her with respect."
The girl initially refused to do the lowly chore until the widow became impatient and compelled her to do so. She reluctantly took the silver cup and carried out the task with a sulky attitude. As soon as the girl reached the fountain, a finely dressed lady emerged from the woods and requested a drink from her pitcher. The proud girl was asked by the lady for some water.
"I did not come here to be your servant," she answered rudely. "Take the pitcher and help yourself. I want you to know that I am just as good as you are."
The lady was actually the fairy in disguise, appearing as a princess to test the extent of the girl's impudence.
"I shall give you a gift," she declared, "that matches your impoliteness and lack of manners. Every time you speak, a snake or a toad will emerge from your mouth."
The girl hurried back home to her mother, who greeted her at the door.
"Well, daughter," she said, impatient to hear what had happened.
When the daughter opened her mouth, to the mother's shock, two vipers and two toads leaped out of it.
"The blame for this falls on your wicked sister," the distressed mother exclaimed. She rushed to beat the innocent younger daughter, who fled to the forest to evade the harsh punishment. Once she was out of reach, she collapsed on the lush grass and cried bitterly.
The King's son, who was returning from a hunt, stumbled upon her in this state and inquired about the reason for her weeping.
As is: "My mother has driven me from my home," she told him.
He was immediately smitten by her beauty and urged her to explain the reason for her tears. She shared her entire story, while precious stones continued to fall from her mouth, leaving him captivated. The prince took her to meet the King, and upon hearing her tale, the King gave his approval for their marriage without delay.
The unkind and unattractive sister's behavior had become so unbearable that even her mother had turned against her. Consequently, she was also forced to leave the house and venture into the forest, where she met a lonely and miserable end.
